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Wailey Family History

Wailey Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Bailey, Wadley, Gailey, Wiley, Hailey, Ailey, Wagley, Mailey, Railey

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Wailey family from?

You can see how Wailey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wailey family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wailey families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 2 Wailey families living in New York. This was about 40% of all the recorded Wailey's in USA. New York and 1 other state had the highest population of Wailey families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wailey surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Wailey ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the USA named Wailey. 100% of Wailey men worked as a Farmer. .

View Census Data for Wailey | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wailey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 511 census records available for the last name Wailey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wailey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Wailey

Passenger Lists

There are 95 immigration records available for the last name Wailey. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wailey immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 125 military records available for the last name Wailey. For the veterans among your Wailey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wailey military records

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